After discussing on many places to go for our first international trip, we (me and my wife) landed on one final decision and destinations were Singapore and Bali. We flew on 28th December via Jet Airways and landed at 9.30 am at Changi International Airport, Singapore . We were enthralled by the beauty and magnanimity of the airport. The procedure of checking of visa was very smooth and there were no long queues or waiting for the long time for your turn. The entire procedure took less than 10 minutes and hoila we were in Singapore. We were escorted by our driver to the cab and taken to Sentosa Island, one of the most sought after destinations in Singapore. We checked-in at Hotel Hard Rock. We were very thrilled for our stay duration of 02 days in the hotel as it was touted to be one of the best hotels in Sentosa Island and yes it did live up to our expectations.
On the first day of our trip, we explored the area around our hotel and we went for Sentosa Tour. We were amazed by the connectivity in and around Sentosa through monorail. It was very convenient to travel in whole of Sentosa considering the huge area of Sentosa islands. On the first day, we explored 4D Adventureland (4D movie, virtual 4-D roller coaster, An interactive 4-D Shoot-Out game, A new 4-D experience ride), Images of Singapore (IOS) and Madam Tussauds. The adventures were thrilling and very informative. Adventureland was all-together a different experience, Images of Singapore was very informative about the history and past and present culture of Singapore. Images of Singapore and Madame Tussauds Singapore has eight fully themed interactive zones, a new "Spirit of Singapore" boat ride, and the Madame Tussauds wax museum zone. At night, we saw Wings of Time (WOT) which displayed water fountains, water screens, laser projectors and flame bursts. That was the end of a thrilling 1st day in the adventureland of Singapore.
On the 2nd day, we started off with visiting SEA Aquarium. It contains a total of 45,000,000 litres of water for more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species. The S.E.A. Aquarium houses the world's largest collection of manta rays, including one of only a few giant oceanic manta rays in captivity. It also showcases 24 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, scalloped hammerhead sharks and the Japanese spider crab. We also saw The Royal Albatross which is a unique 47m class A luxury Tall Ship (pirate ship) that is berthed behind the SEA Aquarium. After that, we visited Universal Studios. It features 28 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones. Each zone is mostly based on movies and/or television, featuring their own attractions, meet and greet locations, over 30 restaurants and food carts, and 20 retail stores and carts located around the park. Also, as the Christmas Holidays were going on, the christmas theme was also additionally developed for the festive look and it looked surreal. There were fireworks at night and the sky looked magnificent. This was the fantastic end of Day 2 of our epic trip.
On Day 3, we started our day with The Skyline Luge & Skyride features a self-steering, gravity-driven three-wheel cart. Then after we boarded Skyride, a chairlift which affords a bird's-eye view of Sentosa Island, the Singapore city skyline and the South China Sea. This was the end of our Sentosa tour. After that, we checked out of our hotel and went to Singapore City and checked in to Park Hotel Clarke Quay.
After resting for an hour or so, we were picked up by our driver for tour to Gardens by Bay. Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) of reclaimed land. The major attractions are The Flower Dome which replicates a mild, dry climate and features plants found in the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions (e.g. parts of Australia, South America, South Africa), Cloud Forest which replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Middle- and South America, Supertree Grove which are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens. We were surprised to see the organized way in which the gardens have been developed.
On the day 4, which was also the last day of the year 2016, precisely why we chose these dates for our travel, to celebrate New Year in Singaporean style. We started off the day with city tour of Singapore, wherein we were informed about different aspects of Singaporean history, culture, people, work, food and other various interesting points. We visited Merlion Park, government buildings and other landmarks such as the Parliament House, Supreme Court Building, drive through Chinatown and neighbourhood of Little India. We went for Singapore Flyer which was already pre-booked by us so we don't have to wait in queues for the tickets. The flyer has 28 air-conditioned capsules, each able to accommodate 28 passengers, and incorporates a three-storey terminal building. We can have a wholesome view of Singapore from the flyer including Marina Bay Sands. After the noon, we roamed the city by walking and gathering information from the locals regarding their culture and what is it like living in Singapore. It was one of the best experiences of our tour. And at night, we saw the amazing fireworks of the New Year at Merlion Park from Marina Bay and yes, it was indescribable.
On the first day of the year 2017, we embarked on one of the superb experiences of our life which was Star Cruises Superstar Gemini for 3 nights cruise with stops at Penang (Malayasia) and Langkawi (Malayasia). The cruise has 11 dining venues serving global culinary classics, fantastic sports facilities, including two pools and a health club, and some of the best live entertainment on the high seas. The cabins were also quite comfortable. I cannot describe the experience in words, because you have to experience it yourself. We met one Singaporean Couple (originally from Germany) and became very good friends. We travelled Penang on foot and discovered the awesome life with their amazing street-art. The Langkawi is more of a tropical island with amazing views of the sea and such a peaceful atmosphere.
We arrived back at the Star Cruises Terminal on Day 4 of our cruise and Day 8 of our trip in the evening and we went to our hotel at Albert Street and dozed off for the night as we will be leaving for an another amazing experience of another awesome destination the next morning.
On Day 9 of our trip, after breakfast, we started off from our hotel to go to Airport and to our next destination i.e. Amazing Bali. Our flight was in the afternoon and we landed at Ngurah Rai International Airport at 3 pm. I must say that the immediate thought came to my mind that if the airport is so picturesque, how the city and experience of Bali would turn out for next 3 days.
We arrived at our private pool villa (someone suggested to book villa due to an awesome experience of living in one) Bali Dream Villa Seminyak. It was a rest day and so we enjoyed relaxing in our pool after a stupendous experience of Singapore.
On the next morning feeling relaxed, we started out excursion for the City tour of Bali with our learned guide by first visiting the site of Barong dance. It narrates the mythological fight between good and bad. Then our guide took us to various different sections of the city of Bali which are famous for their work of art like cloth weaving (Batik print), sculpture making, wooden art, carpentry and others. The guide explained us the structure of the houses in Bali and other traditions of Balinese people. We saw Ubud rice fields on the way and the scence was serene. We went to visit Kintamani and we had the dramatic views of the active volcano Mount Batur and serene Lake Batur. In the afternoon, we visited the coffee plantations of Bali, famous for the Kopi Luwak (Luwak coffee) that includes partially digested coffee cherries, eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet. Fermentation occurs as the cherries pass through a civet's intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal matter, they are collected. In the evening, we visited Tanah Lot temple. It is home to the ancient Hindu pilgrimage temple and it is famous tourist destination for photography of amazing sunsets. We returned back to our villa for the rest after feeling the Balinese experience.
On the penultimate day of our trip, we were to experience the watersports of Balinese beaches. We took package of Jet Ski, Flying Fish and Ocean Walking. The experience of seeing the corals of Bali was just mind blowing. So much colors and life underwater makes us feel so tiny in this world. In the afternoon, we had booked the world famous Balinese massage package named as Orchid Lulur Package which included Thalaso Foot wash, Balinese Massage (60 minutes), Body scrub (30 mins), Yogurt moisturizer (15 mins) and Flower bath (15 mins) and also Ginger tea. The massage served as relaxation to our water sports activities and our muscles were rejuvenating again. In the evening, I took my wife for a surprise romantic dinner at Kupu Kupu Barong Villas & Tree Spa. It turned out to be the best moment of our trip. This was an end to our awesome trip experiencing so many things, meeting new people and most important living each moment with full enjoyment.
On 8th Jan 2017, we boarded our flight for home back to our motherland India with the heavy heart and lots of memories to cherish forever.
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